


Didn't Have the Courage

by ignitethestars



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Declarations Of Love, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Kid Fic, Love Confessions, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 14:57:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8757109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ignitethestars/pseuds/ignitethestars
Summary: While taking care of a Force Sensitive child, Jaina and Poe become aware of how much they mean to each other.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hanorganaas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanorganaas/gifts).



> Based on a conversation with Nor (hanorganaas)...and also I wanted to write fluff.

There were several ways Jaina Solo imagined her day to go. Being trapped in a ship that looked more like a box and fighting a gang of pirates while Poe tried to calm down a sobbing five year old was not one of them.

“This is entirely your fault,” Jaina called over the noise of blaster fire, easily deflecting energy bolts to prevent them from maiming (or worse) the child and Poe. 

Poe looked up, affronted. “How is this my fault?”

Jaina used the Force to push away a pirate who decided to test her luck, “You were the one who wanted to investigate out here for the contraband-”

“Well, I was right, wasn't I?”

“It was you that decided to head down the dark, creepy hallway-”

“I thought you would be proud of me for picking that one.”

“And it was you who decided to smart off to the pirates.”

Poe bit his bottom lip, pensive. Finally he sighed, “All right, so this one's on me. But  _ you _ were the one who decided to rescue Mellie here.”

The child giggled at the sound of Poe’s nickname. “Amelia,” she corrected, blue eyes shining in the darkness of the ship.

“She's Force-sensitive and those pirates know it...they’ll send her to the First Order without a second glance at her.”

“The First Order is bad,” Amelia confirmed grimly.

“Got that right, kid.” Poe agreed, resulting in another beaming smile from the girl.

Jaina closed her eyes, tapping into the Force. She took deep breaths, focusing on the feeling of the Force. It was infinite, breathtaking…

Then she thought of Poe, the love she felt for him. She thought of her parents, of her friends in the Resistance, of Amelia, who needed her and who Jaina was determined not to fail. And finally, Jaina thought of her twin brother, Ben, before he fell.

When she opened her eyes, she felt a calm wash over her. Blaster bolts soared through the air. Jaina flicked off her purple bladed lightsaber, clipping it to her belt 

She raised both hands, palms out, and felt the Force flow from within her. The pirates never knew what hit them; each of them, one by one, flew backwards, landing on various objects.

Poe whistled, eyes wide. “I never get tired of  _ that.” _

Grinning, Jaina stepped into the ship, closing the ramp for good. She turned to Poe, who was crouched down on the ground so he could be eye-level with Amelia, and let out a sigh of relief. “Think this bucket of bolts will get us off world?”

“Sure,” Poe said easily, standing up. Amelia watched him like a hawk. He messed with her strawberry blonde hair as he answered Jaina, “with the right pilot, absolutely.”

Jaina narrowed her eyes, “And by that you mean the best pilot in the Resistance flying, yeah?”

Poe smiled as he stepped toward her, placing his hands on her arms and pressing a feather-light kiss to her forehead. “Of course I do,” he said as he pulled away, leaving one hand on her arm, “And while you fly us home, I’m going to keep an eye on Mellie, here.”

“It’s Amelia, Mister Dameron,” the little girl chided once more.

“Ah, my mistake,” Poe said, lifting her up into his arms. She laughed, which made Poe’s smile even brighter, which Jaina had previously thought impossible.

With one last smile at Poe, Jaina headed to the cockpit, eager to go home. 

* * *

 

A few hours later, Jaina yawned and stretched against the scratchy fabric of the pilot's seat. The room was cast in a calming blue hue, reflected from hyperspace.

It had been a while since Jaina had seen either Poe or Mellie (the last time being when Mellie had dashed into the room while playing hide and seek) and a silence had fallen over the ship.

Curious, Jaina abandoned her seat and wandered through the short halls of the ship. Eventually, she heard Poe’s voice, surprisingly soft. She followed the sound until it led her to a room with a bed in it. 

Mellie was tucked in beneath a ratty old blanket, her small chest rising and falling gently from sleep. Poe was in a chair beside the bed, head hung over slightly from exhaustion. His voice, so often filled with enthusiasm, was instead filled with something similar to adoration.

“Jaina...she is the most selfless person in the galaxy. She tried to give herself up one time to protect  _ me _ from being captured by Agent Terex...it was that day that I...that I loved her.” Poe closed his eyes and fell silent.

Jaina stared at him, heart thumping wildly in her chest. By the Force, that was two years ago. They had only just gotten together a few  _ weeks  _ ago.

If only she had known the feeling was mutual a year ago...

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the room. Immediately, Poe looked up, eyes lighting up as a smile danced across his handsome features. “Hey,” he whispered as she pulled up a chair in front of him.

“Hey,” Jaina replied, squirming around in her seat until she was comfortable, “Did you have fun hotshot?”

“She's a handful,” Poe admitted, “but a very polite handful. It took me two hours to convince her to call me Poe instead of ‘Mister Dameron.’”

Jaina laughed, but it died as soon as it began. A silence weighed down on them, insecurities washing over them. Swallowing hard, Jaina decided it was best to just get this conversation over with. “Why did you never tell me how you felt?”

Poe became enamored with the ceiling as he shrugged. “No reason, I guess.”

“Poe…”

He sighed and reluctantly met her unwavering gaze, “I tried, several times in fact. But I never had the courage to tell you. And there was a war going on and-well, I didn’t want to ruin what we had already.”

“Poe?”

“Yeah?”

“I was in love with you, too.”

His eyes lit up once again, his expression softening. Jaina leaned forward in her chair, pressing her hand on his cheek. She smiled as she pressed her lips against his. He returned the kiss immediately, reaching out to take her free hand.

As the rest of the world slipped away, Jaina tried to figure out when  _ she _ had realized she loved Poe, but she quickly realized there was no one moment; there were a kaleidoscope of moments that had led her to that conclusion: laughing together at a stupid joke, looking up at the stars together, running to find him after a battle…

When he pulled away for air, Poe didn't go far, instead he pressed his forehead against hers. “I really wish I had said something sooner.”

“I know,” Jaina said with a smile, “but the here and now is what matters, right?”

“Yeah, yeah it does. More than anything.”

Jaina smiled at him and reached forward to kiss him again, enjoying the moment while she could, before returning to the chaos that was her life.

But she wasn't going back alone.   
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Quick notice: I headcanon Poe as biromantic. Also, if you want to send me a request, you can find me on tumblr at fitzsimmouns!


End file.
